Delivering Meals ‘Part Of The Celebration’ Of Thanksgiving in North Adams

A line of volunteers builds at the All Saints Berkshires Episcopal Church parish hall, packing away meals that they will deliver to local seniors.

For Shannon Daugherty and her family, this is Thanksgiving.

And it has been that way for more than 30 years.

The Berkshire Eagle reports that Daugherty and her children have carried on the tradition of preparing dozens of Thanksgiving meals at All Saints that are delivered to local seniors in the Northern Berkshires who are spending the holiday alone.

It's a charitable event that was co-started 35 years ago by Daugherty's mother, Diane Bleau.

Daugherty has been in the kitchen preparing meals for seniors every year since she was 6 years old.

For her children, this is the only kind of Thanksgiving they've ever known.

This year, the hard work of dozens of volunteers resulted in more than 180 meals being delivered to local seniors in Adams, Cheshire, North Adams and Williamstown. That's about 50 more than last year, according to Daugherty.

But preparations for the big day begin in October.

The bulk of funding for the annual effort comes via the Northern Berkshire United Way, but organizers rely on help from others as well.

As the names of recipients roll in, Bleau works on the more than 30 routes for the drivers who will deliver meals.

A team of volunteers prepares food on Thanksgiving eve at the parish hall's kitchen.

On Thanksgiving morning, if all goes well, the food is cooked and the meals are packaged and ready to.